UNEP’s Action Plan for Cooling Sector Emission Reduction

Context:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has put forth an action plan outlined in the report “Keeping it Chill: How to meet cooling demands while cutting emissions,” with the goal of significantly decreasing emissions from the global cooling sector. This initiative has the potential to make a substantial impact, foreseeing a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The report’s release aligns with the Global Cooling Pledge, a collaborative effort led by the United Arab Emirates, the host of the Conference of Parties (COP28), in conjunction with the Cool Coalition.

Relevance:

GS III: Environment and Ecology

Dimensions of the Article:

1. UNEP’s Action Plan for Sustainable Cooling
2. Addressing the Significance of the Cooling Sector
3. Benefits of Sustainable Cooling:

UNEP’s Action Plan for Sustainable Cooling

Passive Cooling Measures:

Recommendations:

• Advocates the adoption of passive cooling measures like shading, ventilation, insulation, green roofs, and reflective surfaces.
• Suggests reintroducing nature to urban areas.

Impact on Energy Consumption:

• Highlights that passive cooling can significantly reduce the reliance on mechanical cooling, leading to energy and emission savings.

Higher Energy Efficiency:

Technological Emphasis:

• Stresses the importance of adopting higher energy efficiency technologies and practices for cooling equipment such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and fans.

Benefits:

• Points out that higher-energy efficiency cooling not only reduces energy consumption and emissions but also lowers costs for users and utilities.

Alternative Cooling Substances:

• Shift from HFCs:
  • Advocates for the use of alternative substances like hydrocarbons, ammonia, or carbon dioxide instead of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
• Impact of HFCs:
  • Describes HFCs as potent greenhouse gases with super-pollutant properties, capable of trapping heat hundreds to thousands of times more than carbon dioxide.
• Phase-Down Initiative:
  • Urges a faster phasedown of climate-warming refrigerants and air conditioning under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
• Reducing Direct Emissions:
  • Highlights that low-global warming potential refrigerants can contribute to the reduction of direct emissions from cooling devices.

Addressing the Significance of the Cooling Sector

Importance of Cooling Sector:

• The cooling sector is vital for mitigating rising temperatures, ensuring food safety, supporting industrial processes, and fostering productive economies.

Challenges Without Intervention:

Electricity Consumption and Emissions:

• The growing demand for cooling equipment could result in a substantial increase in electricity consumption and emissions.
• The cooling sector currently constitutes 20% of global electricity consumption.
• Without intervention, the installed capacity of cooling equipment globally could triple, leading to a more than twofold increase in electricity consumption by 2050.
• This scenario could contribute to emissions between 4.4 billion and 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2050, accounting for over 10% of projected global emissions.

Benefits of Sustainable Cooling:

• Economic Savings:
  • Passive cooling techniques and efficient cooling equipment can save consumers USD 17 trillion between 2022 and 2050.
• Power Requirements Reduction:
  • Sustainable cooling is projected to reduce peak power requirements by 1.5-2 terawatts (TW), avoiding substantial power generation investments.
• Emission Reductions:
  • Increasing the adoption of low-global warming potential technologies and managing refrigerant life cycles can reduce HFC emissions by 50% in 2050.
  • Decarbonizing the power grid can further reduce sectoral emissions by 96%.

-Source: Down To Earth